


Quest of the Heartfire

by Awenseth



Category: Next Avengers, Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Adventure, Angst and Tragedy, Betrayal, Childhood Memories, Cuddling & Snuggling, Discussion of Ragnarök, F/M, Family, Family Secrets, Finding Onesself, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Journey between realms, Lost & Found, M/M, Magic, Mention of Character Death, Mentions of Past Torture, Mind Control, OC & OOC Characters, Odin's A+ Parenting, Past Abeuse & Alcoholism, Past Child Abuse, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2013-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-06 08:33:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1104690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awenseth/pseuds/Awenseth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ultron is finally gone and the world slowly starts to re-set the old order before the tragedy, but even then there are things from the past from which one can't hide forever. Tony dreads revealing the truth as does Thor for they fear the reactions they would recieve. Just how can you tell a teen that his mother is alive and forbidden to even see him? How do you explain it to children who had lost their parents that maybe, just maybe if they had done differently in the past they would have not ended up as orphans?</p>
<p>Too many questions, but the truth does not like to stay hidden for too long...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quest of the Heartfire

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was the limit how long I could hold up without starting to at least do the prologue to this story. This kept bothering me since having seen this movie about two months ago and this idea well it struck me halfway through the story and would not leave.

It had been a whole year after the defeat of Ultron, the news had spread fast over the lands which lived for decades in fear from the cybernetic monster which had taken over almost half of the world, murdering all those standing in his way. The people rejoiced and band together to give those support in taking down the mechanic cities who had liven in hiding, fighting from the shadows. 

Ultron’s grotesque trophy collection had been taken apart right on the day of his defeat, the stolen remains of costumes and gadgets were laid to rest in a memorial for the fallen heroes, because that tyrannical monster had not left any remains to be buried. 

Tony had decided to take the children back to the sanctuary he had created back then to hide them, but now with allowance to leave whenever they were needed and the world did need the Avengers.

♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑ ♒ ♓

“Jacosta, please make the changes on floor twenty-three and thirty on the re-planning of the Avenger’s Tower.” Tony said while sitting in front of the computer, he did not tell the children that he wished to rebuild the Tower for them, - he could not bring himself to work on the mansion -, he wanted it to be ready before doing so.

“ _As you wish sir._ ” come the female voice, he missed Jarvis, but chose not to dwell on it, thinking abut his lost friends hurt even thought Thor reassured him – he had found a way to communicate with them - that they were happy in Valhalla…well most of them…

“Tony?” the sound from the door made the old inventor turn around, one would have thought that during all these years he would have managed to get used to kids sneaking up on him, but he knew that this one needed to be cut some more extra slack. 

“With what can I help you Francis?” he asked the teenager who looked at him unsurely, fidgeting with an arrow between his hands. Something Clint also had tended to do if he was about to ask help for something he had been embarrassed about to admit. 

“Do you have by any chance some books about dreams and their meanings?” now that question certainly startled Tony, because he did not except to hear such a question to come up. 

“Sure, I still have some PDF files, I will send them over to the computer in your bungalow.” he said in a kind tone, it was strange how much he had changed from the man he had once been, he become a parent. 

“Thanks Tony.” the blonde said in a relieved tone and was about to leave the work room when Tony called after him. 

“What do you wish to find in them?” he asked simply out of curiosity and not the cold feeling spreading in his stomach. 

First it looked as if Francis would not answer, he had his eyes averted, but the deep sigh told him that the inner fight had ended. 

“I…till now I have only told my dad this…well at first after the first two times I stopped because he seemed to be in pain” Francis started uncertainly and Tony felt the cold spread even faster. “On most nights I dream about fire, the heat is suffocating and I’m scarred. Somewhere outside I can hear dad calling my name in fear, he sounds so scarred and helpless…then, there is suddenly a great shadow falling over me and the heat is less scorching.” Tony listened, he knew when this was, when Cap told him to get the kids and he saw that Clint’s home was already in flames, he had been sure that Francis who was just like James and Torunn only three could not have survived it. “Then suddenly the shadow moves closer and it is a huge wolf with ebony black furr, a deep scar on his snout and emerald eyes “it takes all of Tony’s willpower to not gasp in realization…so this was how Francis still lived. It certainly did not help the cold he felt in his stomach or the bitter taste in his mouth. “I know that under normal cirumates I should have felt worried, but I was not, anstead I felt safe and protected in the wolf’s presence…somehow I knew in my dream that he would not hurt me and come to protect me from the fire, but at the same time he was sad for needing to do so.” Tony bit his tongue to not let any sound escape from his mouth; he could not tell the boy that this had most likely not been a dream, but the truth. “So I want to know what this means.” Francis finished and Tony was happy that he was still not looking at him for he doubted that he could try hiding his feelings, this story brought back to many memories, to much guilt regards the newly gained knowledge. 

They had been too hasty in their decisions and now after finally listening to what they have refused to hear when it had been important too much guilt and what ifs remained. 

“I hope you find what you need.” Tony felt glad for all those years he needed to deal with people he did not like because his voice sounded even and calm, not like as if someone who was drowning like he felt on the inside. 

“I also hope to finally get my answers.” Francis said with a small smile, luckily still not looking at Tony, before hurrying out to his quarters to look over the books. 

When he left the engineer slumped back in his chair, one hand resting on his eyes. He was getting too old to deal with this and the worst was, he could not ask any of his friends for help without reminding them even more on the annoying questions plaguing them in the afterlife. The several what ifs about if they would have listened, reacted differently could things have turned out for the better? Would they have stood a chance? Though now thinking about these questions hurt too much and there was also the problem that there was no telling when Francis realized that the fire, his father’s calling and the wolf had been not a dream, but reality? 

“Ugh…how should I explain this to him without him starting to hate the memory of his father?” Tony asked in a pained tone, this was not something he had been prepared for or wished for, but he was the only one now who will need to this when the time comes. 

Sometimes, more often then not, he wished Pepper would be still beside him to give him advice or reassurance about what to do, but she was not here anymore. She had been one of Ultron’s first victims when the Tower was destroyed and he could never ask her the question he had desperately wanted…

Again one of the painful what if questions to which there is no answer for that path had since long been closed off and could not be stepped upon again. 

_To be continued…_


End file.
